Picture-frame



(No Model.)

E. BRSCHBLL.

PIGTURE FRAME. y

Patented Aug. 14, 1888;.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEieE.

ERNST ERSCHELL, OF NRV;-T YORK, N. Y.

PICTUREFRAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387.779. 'lte August 14. 1359- Application filed February 1, 1888, Serial No. 262,600

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I. ERNST ERsoHELL, of New Yori; city, New York, have invented a new and Improved Picture-Frame, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apicture-frame, and more particularly to the spring for holding the picture in place. Heretofore the spring, if used, was attached directly to the frame-back, and it was thus impossible to properly gage the picture before putting the hack in place.l I propose to secu re the spring to the frame direct, and not to the back, so that the picture may be readily handled and adjusted before the frame is closed by the back.

The invention also relates to an improvemeut in the manner of attaching the back to the frame.

It consists in the various features ol" improve ment more fully pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front View of my improved pictureframe. Fig. 2 is a rear View thereof. Fig. 3 is a lon gitudinal section on line a: m, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a rear View with the hack removed. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line y y, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the frameback only on line .e z, Fig. 2.

The letter a represents a frame,of square or other shape and made out of suitable material. It is stepshaped in crosssection, as usual, to accommodate the glass, the picture, and the back. Upon the offset of molding a, and preferably at the center of one of its long sides, there is glued a block, b, Figs. 4 and 5, and to this block there is attached one end of aspring, c. The block b serves to connect the spring to the frame without injuring the frame. The

spring o is made of convex shape, bulging outward toward the front of the frame. It is preferably made of steel, and is in the form of a long and narrow band stretching centrally (No model.)

across the opening in frame a, and having one end free, Figs. 1 and 5. The spring bears preferahly against the center of the picture, and thus holds it against the glass.

It will be seen that in i'ramingapicture the hands have free access to the back of the picture, and thus the picture can be adjusted with great rapidity and accuracy. N ot until the picture is properly gaged is the back applied. This back eZ,I prefer tosccure in place by means of the fastening device illustrated in Figs. 2 and 6that is to say, the back is grooved atits upper edge, Fig. 3, and is made with a flange at its three other edges, Figs. 3 and 6. In securing the back in place the grooved edge is made to engage a flange, f, on one side of frame a, While the three flanged edges of the back overlap the other sides of the frame. A catch, e, is then revolved to project over the edge of the back and to securely hold the back in position.

.1. The combination of a picture-frame With a spring, c, bnlged toward the front and projecting across the frame, one end ofthe spring being secured to the frame, while the other end is disconnected therefrom, substantially as specified.

2. The combination offrame a with the block b,aud with the spring @,secured to such block at one end, the other end of the spring being free, substantially as speciiied.

3. The combination of frame a, having flange f, with back d, having one grooved edge to engage said flange, and having the other edges anged to overlap frame a, substantially as specified.

ERNST ERSCHELL.

'Vitnesses:

ALFRED JONGHMANS, Fry. BEIEsEN. 

